Santa Monica Pier Closed After Woman Shot In Leg

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA) – Investigators are trying to piece together the circumstances of a shooting which left a woman wounded and closed the Santa Monica Pier Thursday morning.

Just after 6 a.m., Santa Monica police officers responded to a report of gunfire to find that a woman had been shot in the leg near Mariasol restaurant. She was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

"I heard a shot, I saw pigeons fly, and I thought, 'probably a firecracker,'" Santa Monica resident Dean Kiel told CBS2.

Police remain unclear on whether the shooting was self-inflicted or committed by a suspect. A dive team was searching the coastal waters for any evidence. No gun has been recovered.

Investigators described the victim as being uncooperative regarding the details of the incident.

"Extremely uncooperative, and provided conflicting statements, very little information as far as our suspects," Santa Monica police Sgt. Rudy Flores told CBS2. "Only described our suspect as being a male Hispanic, and possibly being accompanied by a female Hispanic."

"I was down there, where, if anybody ran by, I would have seen them, and I did not see anybody," Kiel added.

The pier was closed for several hours. It reopened sometime before 11 a.m.

Investigators are looking for any security cameras in the area that may have caught footage that could provide clarity on the situation.